About ten of our fifteen acres is in crops each year, and last fall’s harvest was field corn. I had an epic plowing session with the 8N and a two-bottom plow, and then left the field “rough” over the winter to “mellow down,” which just means the freeze/thaw cycle breaks down and loosens the dirt, leaving it soft as butter in the spring.
A few weeks ago, I borrowed my “real farmer” friend’s big John Deere tractor and field cultivator, which made quick work of leveling out the furrows left by the plowing.
Several passes were made, then a few more using a spike-tooth harrow to get everything really smoothed out and level.
So yesterday, which was a beautiful day, with rain forecast for tonight, I decided it was time to plant! I used my 1950 Ford 8N tractor and a 1930s John Deere / Van Brundt grain drill to do the planting (alfalfa and timothy for hay). The drill was originally a horse-drawn implement.
This took about 4 hours to do (first gear, driving fairly slowly). I then followed up with one last pass using the harrow, to stir the seed into the soil:
I used my “new to me” Allis Chalmers 190 tractor to do this work.
And now, we wait!